GSEs
LS1 (9-11) -1a Students demonstrate understanding of structure and function- survival requirements by… explaining the relationships between and amongst the specialized structures of the cell and their functions.
Lesson Overview
Here, we are reviewing Mitosis as a precursor to a sequence of lessons in genetics. Understanding mitosis is crucial to continuing on with nuclear division!! I am also using this as a method to get to know all of my student's names, since it has been rather difficult so far; and also at the end, as a way to assess what prior knowledge they have about genetics and DNA in general. Good explanation of your purpose. Can you be more specific about what students will be doing during the lesson?
Learning Performances
Learning performances illustrate how students should use the scientific content and practices in tasks and reflect the reasoning tasks we want students to be able to do with scientific knowledge.
The students will be able to recall the steps and process of mitosis through active participation within the mitosis game, since the game requires quick recall and application of the different processes within mitosis.
They will also color their mitosis sheet for homework, correctly labeling the different things
The students will demonstrate their previous knowledge of DNA and genetics by writing as much as they can about the subject!
Materials Needed:
- 2 clean! flyswatters
- masking tape
Print out:
- mitosis worksheet x n(students in class)
- mitosis coloring sheet x n(students in class)
- exit sheet x n(students in class)
Set up:
- chalkboard with mitosis terms and ideas written on it (scattered, randomly across the board)
- sheet of mitosis- related questions to ask (in order of difficulty)
- roster of names of students (from cooperating teacher)
Instruction:
(Key to Lesson Plan's Shorthand) TA: Teacher action TV: Teacher words SV: Student voice (anticipated responses) SA: Student action (anticipated action or movement) E: event/ wait time/ travel time, it should be emphasized. Italics!: These emphasize specific "reasons" for the action, if they're not otherwise apparent. Also known as "stealth objectives", a deeper reason for saying or acting as you do.
Opening
TA: Welcome and greet the students into the class! atmosphere, perhaps start talking to students- novel idea- get to know them a bit more personally than just their names! TV: All right, today we are going to enter into the wonderful realm of genetics! But first, like learning to walk, you need to learn how to crawl, so before learning genetics, you need to understand mitosis, which I believe you studied a bit last fall? SV: anticipated response- mix of nods and head shakes. TV: Well, let us start off genetics lightly with a game!
1. Start off by numbering the kids (one, two, one, two, etc) DO NOT EXPLAIN GAME YET!
NO FLYSWATTERS. They will not know exactly what they are doing for their projects, until they get involved. Use enthusiasm to get kids excited for some amazing upcoming activity!
2. Have students move the desks back away from the front chalkboard/whiteboard
3. Have them divide into their various teams! I get that you're trying to hook them by maintaining a bit of mystery, but what are they doing while you take attendance? Your instructions have them doing things, but no indication of what you'll tell them. Will you let them know who you are? Will you let them know that you're starting a genetics unit? Will you ask them a question about genetics to start things off?
Instructional Activities
4. Explain the rules of the game:
THE RULES
- No moving until I say “GO”
- you must hit with the flyswatter on the board the correct answer!
- any flyswatting people, objects, out of turn without saying “GO” will result in being kicked out of the game
- continual flyswatting by one team (or a particular person) will result in team disqualification
- disqualification means WORKSHEET by yourself, along with coloring sheet!
- also disqualification from flyswatting out of turn
- a dispute between teams (ie- both swat at same time, same place) means that the students who were doing the flyswatting must think of a question OUTSIDE of their team to ask both teams instead, and say GO! (it must be run past me first!)
5. Hand out flyswatters, explain that they are to form a "Batting order" so that everyone will get to flyswat at least once. (let them form their batting orders) Have the students tape a line for their starting point
accomodations for george***difficulty walking -- set him up with keeping score of points! What if he wants to play?
6. Explain that I will ask a question, and then expect them to answer it (after I say GO) and run to the board and flyswat the correct concept/term.
If there is a dispute, see above "Rules". Where are the questions? Do you have questions at varying levels? What will students who are not manning the flyswatters supposed to be doing?
7. Start the game! (draw out the cell on the board- enough answers to make the pieces to eventually get a DNA split!)
8. Throughout the game, take note of which students participate- "Who is up next?" "What is your name?" Why not have them introduce themselves, maybe fill out an index card with their name and an interesting fact? Will you keep score? How competitive will this game be?
Concluding the Lesson
How will you reinforce purpose of the lesson and unit? Relate lesson to issues in society and to student lives? How will you tie each activity of the lesson together? What the main idea of the lesson? How is each activity related to what students were to learn?You should delete these prompts.
9. At the end, (LEAVE 15 MINUTES FOR DESK-RE-SETUP and CALM DOWN and SHEET WRITING) What will you tell them to do? How will you sum up the game? Is there a way to revisit all the answers to the game questions to create a coherent summary of Mitosis?
10. Explain the idea of "exit sheet" (think of a better name for that), and the topic to write about "What do you know about DNA and Genetics?" "write as much as you can until the bell rings) - Let them write until the bell Think back to your high school days. Will students actually do this?
11. hand out mitosis coloring sheet, with labels to what needs to be colored (give them two days to finish it) Aren't they writing now? Why not do this before the writing assignment so you can explain the assignment? Why give them two days?
Assessing Student Understanding
I will determine if students understand the topic at hand by observing their answers as they go through flyswatting on the board, some students will consequentially be further ahead than others!
The students will also write out their exit sheet, which will pre-assess what they know already and what they don't know for the future lessons at hand.
Cautions
YES sort of.
Move the desks and objects out of the way
NO flyswatting other students!
Sources
the idea is my own; unless someone else has thought of it ahead of time.
Title: Mitosis Review!
Links to Standards or Benchmarks
GSEsLS1 (9-11) -1a Students demonstrate understanding of structure and function- survival requirements by… explaining the relationships between and amongst the specialized structures of the cell and their functions.
Lesson Overview
Here, we are reviewing Mitosis as a precursor to a sequence of lessons in genetics. Understanding mitosis is crucial to continuing on with nuclear division!! I am also using this as a method to get to know all of my student's names, since it has been rather difficult so far; and also at the end, as a way to assess what prior knowledge they have about genetics and DNA in general. Good explanation of your purpose. Can you be more specific about what students will be doing during the lesson?Learning Performances
Learning performances illustrate how students should use the scientific content and practices in tasks and reflect the reasoning tasks we want students to be able to do with scientific knowledge.The students will be able to recall the steps and process of mitosis through active participation within the mitosis game, since the game requires quick recall and application of the different processes within mitosis.
They will also color their mitosis sheet for homework, correctly labeling the different things
The students will demonstrate their previous knowledge of DNA and genetics by writing as much as they can about the subject!
Materials Needed:
- 2 clean! flyswatters- masking tape
Print out:
- mitosis worksheet x n(students in class)
- mitosis coloring sheet x n(students in class)
- exit sheet x n(students in class)
Set up:
- chalkboard with mitosis terms and ideas written on it (scattered, randomly across the board)
- sheet of mitosis- related questions to ask (in order of difficulty)
- roster of names of students (from cooperating teacher)
Instruction:
(Key to Lesson Plan's Shorthand)TA: Teacher action
TV: Teacher words
SV: Student voice (anticipated responses)
SA: Student action (anticipated action or movement)
E: event/ wait time/ travel time, it should be emphasized.
Italics!: These emphasize specific "reasons" for the action, if they're not otherwise apparent. Also known as "stealth objectives", a deeper reason for saying or acting as you do.
Opening
TA: Welcome and greet the students into the class!atmosphere, perhaps start talking to students- novel idea- get to know them a bit more personally than just their names!
TV: All right, today we are going to enter into the wonderful realm of genetics! But first, like learning to walk, you need to learn how to crawl, so before learning genetics, you need to understand mitosis, which I believe you studied a bit last fall?
SV: anticipated response- mix of nods and head shakes.
TV: Well, let us start off genetics lightly with a game!
1. Start off by numbering the kids (one, two, one, two, etc) DO NOT EXPLAIN GAME YET!
NO FLYSWATTERS. They will not know exactly what they are doing for their projects, until they get involved. Use enthusiasm to get kids excited for some amazing upcoming activity!
2. Have students move the desks back away from the front chalkboard/whiteboard
3. Have them divide into their various teams!
I get that you're trying to hook them by maintaining a bit of mystery, but what are they doing while you take attendance? Your instructions have them doing things, but no indication of what you'll tell them. Will you let them know who you are? Will you let them know that you're starting a genetics unit? Will you ask them a question about genetics to start things off?
Instructional Activities
4. Explain the rules of the game:THE RULES
- No moving until I say “GO”
- you must hit with the flyswatter on the board the correct answer!
- any flyswatting people, objects, out of turn without saying “GO” will result in being kicked out of the game
- continual flyswatting by one team (or a particular person) will result in team disqualification
- disqualification means WORKSHEET by yourself, along with coloring sheet!
- also disqualification from flyswatting out of turn
- a dispute between teams (ie- both swat at same time, same place) means that the students who were doing the flyswatting must think of a question OUTSIDE of their team to ask both teams instead, and say GO! (it must be run past me first!)
5. Hand out flyswatters, explain that they are to form a "Batting order" so that everyone will get to flyswat at least once. (let them form their batting orders) Have the students tape a line for their starting point
- accomodations for george***difficulty walking -- set him up with keeping score of points! What if he wants to play?
6. Explain that I will ask a question, and then expect them to answer it (after I say GO) and run to the board and flyswat the correct concept/term.If there is a dispute, see above "Rules". Where are the questions? Do you have questions at varying levels? What will students who are not manning the flyswatters supposed to be doing?
7. Start the game! (draw out the cell on the board- enough answers to make the pieces to eventually get a DNA split!)
8. Throughout the game, take note of which students participate- "Who is up next?" "What is your name?" Why not have them introduce themselves, maybe fill out an index card with their name and an interesting fact? Will you keep score? How competitive will this game be?
Concluding the Lesson
How will you reinforce purpose of the lesson and unit? Relate lesson to issues in society and to student lives? How will you tie each activity of the lesson together? What the main idea of the lesson? How is each activity related to what students were to learn? You should delete these prompts.9. At the end, (LEAVE 15 MINUTES FOR DESK-RE-SETUP and CALM DOWN and SHEET WRITING)
What will you tell them to do? How will you sum up the game? Is there a way to revisit all the answers to the game questions to create a coherent summary of Mitosis?
10. Explain the idea of "exit sheet" (think of a better name for that), and the topic to write about "What do you know about DNA and Genetics?" "write as much as you can until the bell rings) - Let them write until the bell Think back to your high school days. Will students actually do this?
11. hand out mitosis coloring sheet, with labels to what needs to be colored (give them two days to finish it) Aren't they writing now? Why not do this before the writing assignment so you can explain the assignment? Why give them two days?
Assessing Student Understanding
I will determine if students understand the topic at hand by observing their answers as they go through flyswatting on the board, some students will consequentially be further ahead than others!The students will also write out their exit sheet, which will pre-assess what they know already and what they don't know for the future lessons at hand.
Cautions
YES sort of.Move the desks and objects out of the way
NO flyswatting other students!
Sources
the idea is my own; unless someone else has thought of it ahead of time.Teaching Resources
Mitosis Worksheet, http://schools.fsusd.k12.ca.us/schools/fhs/teacher/mpatterson/03-cells/pdf/mitosis.PDF. Retrieved 11/19/08Rationale
Use class readings about how students learn and what students should learn to explain why have decided to plan this lesson the way you did.